Appendix 1: Cites Otter Identification Sheets
In this Appendix, the CITES Identification Sheets for otters are reproduced with the permission of the CITES Secretariat. These identification sheets are included as part of the CITES Identification Manual, which is circulated to CITES member states to assist customs officers in carrying out their obligations under CITES. The sheets are included here to assist readers to identify the various species of otter.
It should be noted that there are some differences between the names used in this action plan, and those followed by CITES. These are:
CITES treats the Congo clawless otter (Aonyx congica) as conspecific with the Cape clawless otter (A. capensis). This means that there is not a separate sheet for the Congo clawless otter. Readers who would like to know more about the distinguishing characteristics of these two species should contact the Chairman of the Otter Specialist Group (see Appendix 3).
For five of the species, different English names are used, as follows:
Name in Action Plan |
Name Used by CITES |
Asian Small-clawed Otter |
Oriental Small-clawed Otter, |
Short-clawed Otter | |
Eurasian Otter |
European River Otter |
Neotropical Otter |
Neotropical River Otter |
Smooth Otter |
India Smooth-coated Otter |
Spotted-necked Otter |
Spot-necked Otter |
The sheets in this this Appendix (pages 90–113) are arranged in alphabetical order of scientific names. It should be noted that the otter Identification Sheets were published in 1983, and some of the information in them is now out of date (particularly regarding distributional and trade data). More up-to-date information is to be found in the main text of the action plan.
